The Path of Return to the Creator: The First Teaching of Nanabush, the first Man called Mide, and the First Sermon on Meaning Given to Humanity
Among the oldest teachings preserved within the Sacred Tree is a remarkable sequence carried by the Thirty-Five Sacred Branches. These Branches emerge directly from the original Root Authorities and represent the first major expressions of sacred meaning.
According to the Midewiwin tradition preserved within the Root Record, these teachings were entrusted through Nanabush, the First Teacher, who instructed humanity in the original language of relationship, wisdom, and creation.
When the Priest Interpretations of the Thirty-Five Sacred Branches are read together, they do not behave as isolated teachings. They unfold as a single progression. They read as a continuous message, moving from awakening to understanding, from healing to responsibility, and finally from seeking the Creator to recognizing the Creator's abiding presence.
This progression may represent the oldest preserved sermon contained within the Branch Record.
Before examining the meaning of this sermon, its teachings should be preserved in their complete sequence.
The Thirty-Five Sacred Teachings as One Song
Since receiving the Bundle of Nanabush and the original Language Keys for decipherment in 2021 within the Garden River Ojibwe Nation, I have sung this song in our language at gatherings, lodges, ceremonies, and community events. Through this work, I have sought those who still remember portions of the original teaching, in the original form of the 35 Branches and have preserved every recognition and response. This led to sharing of what remained to include sacred traditions and objects/records.
What emerged from the decipherment of the Thirty-Five Sacred Branches was not a collection of unrelated teachings. They revealed themselves as a single continuous discourse. Together they form one song, one teaching, and one path.
Preserved within the language of the Forty-Nine Root Authorities are what we recognize as the earliest complete sentences ever spoken in the original sacred language and the first sermon given to humanity at Creation in the Garden by Nanabush. The teachings begin with the spirit awakening to its relationship with the Creator and end with the realization that the Creator has always been present. Between these two points unfolds the entire purpose of human life: healing, wisdom, compassion, service, responsibility, reconciliation, and return.
Each High Priesthood Language Symbol ties to sounds, roots, and meanings directly, cermemonially, if being read, or being taught directly to the people.
Sound • Primary Roots • Root Meaning • Ceremonial Reading • Sacred Reading • Priest Interpretation
Sound: the original spoken expression.
Primary Roots: the foundational Root Authorities from which the Branch is formed.
Root Meaning: the primary meaning derived from the roots.
Ceremonial Reading: the meaning preserved within ceremony.
Sacred Reading: the deeper spiritual teaching.
Priest Interpretation: the interpretive teaching preserved by the High Priests for teaching.
THE ORIGINAL 35:
THE FIRST SERMON TO HUMANITY ON THE GOOD LIFE
As spoken by Nanabush, Mi-chi-boozhoo, the First Spirit fashioned for the Anishinaabe, who entered the First Man and would become known as Mide, First Father of Humanity. Through him was established Bimaadiziwin, the Good Way of Life; through his heart was established Midewiwin, the Way of the Heart; and through his authority were entrusted the Midegag, Keepers of the Sacred Teachings, Guardians of the Records, and Interpreters of the Ancient Instructions handed down through the Language Keys of Authority through the High Priests and Priests.
The spirit within the person recognizes its relationship to the Creator and calls upward seeking communion.
The cry of the spirit echoes throughout creation and is witnessed by all living things.
The Creator moves toward those who call sincerely and offers assistance through sacred power.
Through healing and cooperation obstacles are removed and harmony is restored.
The Creator provides witnesses and signs so that the people may recognize truth and direction.
Sacred healing power originates from the Creator and is entrusted to those who serve faithfully.
The Creator remains aware of every life and responds to gratitude and remembrance.
True healing begins within the heart, where spirit and medicine become one.
The greatest gift is not an object but the living spirit carried within a faithful heart.
The offering of one's heart creates friendship, trust, and unity among the people.
The faithful person learns to move with Creation instead of against it and becomes united with the Spirit.
Understanding grows as the teachings of Heaven are revealed and understood.
All living things share a common source and remain connected to one another.
The healer serves by carrying the burdens of others and restoring unity through compassion.
Sacred healing is not abandoned when difficulties arise but remains constant and enduring.
True communication begins within the heart and creates unity among living beings.
Every part of life can become a means of receiving instruction from the Creator.
The seeker must recognize forces that create division and confusion.
Difficulties arise to separate people from the path of harmony and truth.
The path to peace and reconciliation begins with the transformation of the heart.
Through a heart aligned with the Creator, harmful influences are dispersed and assistance is invited.
Those who accept sacred responsibility experience both burden and blessing while walking the spiritual path.
Spiritual strength is gathered through labor, persistence, and devotion to the work of healing.
The soul grieves when unity, compassion, and healing have been forgotten.
The absence of compassion leaves wounds that affect entire communities and generations.
Even during hardship, the awakened eye perceives the healing and love that still endure.
Silence itself is a teacher, reminding us that restoration often comes through stillness rather than action.
When the heart turns toward the Creator, confusion gives way to understanding and peace.
Spiritual sight raises the seeker toward wisdom and closer fellowship with the Creator.
The sacred messenger restores life, invites reconciliation, and calls creation to return to its proper relationship with the Creator.
The seeker discovers hidden teachings preserved by the ancestors and revealed through spiritual insight.
All life originates from the Creator and remains dependent upon divine sustenance.
The living person becomes a sacred dwelling place through harmony with the Creator.
The Creator communicates with those who prepare themselves to receive sacred instruction.
The highest realization is the recognition that the Creator is present within life and remains a constant companion.
Together, these thirty-five Branches form the foundation of the First Teaching of Nanabush and preserve what we recognize as the First Sermon given to humanity in the original language of the Forty-Nine Root Authorities.
The Meaning of the First Sermon
When viewed individually, these teachings appear as spiritual instructions. When viewed together, they reveal a complete path. The sequence moves with deliberate order, beginning with the awakening of the spirit and ending with the realization of divine companionship. The progression is neither random nor fragmented. Each teaching builds upon the one before it and prepares the way for the one that follows.
The sermon begins with a simple realization: the spirit within the person recognizes its relationship to the Creator and seeks communion. This call does not go unheard. The cry of the spirit echoes throughout creation and is witnessed by all living things. The Creator responds to those who sincerely seek Him and moves toward them with healing and assistance. Through cooperation, compassion, and sacred help, obstacles are removed and harmony begins to return.
The listener is then taught that healing is not primarily external. True healing begins within the heart. The greatest gift is not an object, possession, or achievement, but the living spirit carried within a faithful heart. Through the sharing of that heart, friendship emerges, trust is established, and unity grows among the people. The faithful person learns to move with Creation rather than against it and discovers that wisdom is revealed through the teachings of Heaven. Through this wisdom comes the recognition that all living things remain connected to a common source.
The teaching then moves beyond personal growth into service. The healer is one who carries the burdens of others. Healing is not abandoned when hardship arises but remains constant and enduring. Communication itself is understood as an act of the heart. Every part of creation becomes a source of instruction from the Creator. Yet the path is not free from opposition. The seeker must recognize forces that create division and confusion. Difficulties arise that attempt to separate people from truth, harmony, and right relationship.
To overcome these challenges, the sermon teaches that peace begins through transformation of the heart. A heart aligned with the Creator disperses harmful influences and invites assistance. Those who accept sacred responsibility discover that the spiritual path carries both burden and blessing. Strength is not gained through dominance but through devotion, labor, perseverance, and commitment to healing.
The sermon then turns toward one of its deepest observations. The soul grieves when unity, compassion, and healing are forgotten. The absence of love leaves wounds that extend beyond individuals and affect entire communities and generations. Yet even during hardship, the awakened eye continues to perceive the healing and love that remain. Silence itself becomes a teacher. Restoration often comes through stillness rather than action. As the heart turns toward the Creator, confusion gives way to understanding, and spiritual sight develops.
From that sight comes a higher realization. Hidden teachings preserved by the ancestors become visible. The seeker begins to understand that all life originates from the Creator and remains sustained by Him. The purpose of wisdom is not merely knowledge but restoration. The sacred messenger restores life, invites reconciliation, and calls creation back into proper relationship with its source.
The final movement of the sermon is perhaps its most profound. The living person becomes a sacred dwelling place through harmony with the Creator. The Creator communicates with those who prepare themselves to receive instruction. The journey that began with a spirit calling outward toward the Creator ends with a startling realization:
The highest realization is the recognition that the Creator is present within life and remains a constant companion.
The sermon therefore ends where it began, but with deeper understanding. The spirit that first called out seeking communion eventually discovers that the Creator was never distant. The seeker learns that healing, wisdom, compassion, endurance, service, silence, and reconciliation were all stages leading toward a single realization: the Creator has been present throughout the entire journey.
A remarkable feature of the sequence is its structure. The first teaching speaks of seeking the Creator. The final teaching speaks of finding the Creator already present. The first teaching begins with calling. The final teaching ends with companionship. The path is circular rather than linear. The seeker arrives where they began, but transformed by wisdom, healing, responsibility, service, and understanding.
If this interpretation is correct, the Thirty-Five Sacred Branches preserve not merely a collection of teachings but the first complete message given to humanity concerning meaning itself. They describe the human journey from awakening to realization, from separation to communion, from confusion to wisdom, and from suffering to restoration.
They teach that the purpose of life is to awaken to the Creator, heal the heart, learn compassion, overcome division, serve others, receive wisdom, restore harmony, and finally recognize the constant presence of the Creator within creation and within oneself. In this sense, the Thirty-Five Sacred Branches may preserve the oldest sermon ever spoken: humanity's first teaching on meaning, relationship, and the path of return to the Creator.
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